Going Through the Motions

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. ~ Psalm 9:1 (NLT)

Have you ever met someone who is just going through the motions? If you don’t know what that is, here’s a quick explanation. The phrase going through the motions means that they are doing things out of habit, but have no passion for them. I’ve seen people at work stare straight ahead, bored out of their minds, just doing the basics of the job. I’ve seen in school who don’t really try to be successful in their school work, but instead choose to squeak by doing the bare minimum to pass the class. I’ve seen people in relationships where they are no longer passionate about their partner and are actually uninterested with the relationship any longer. Going through the motions basically means you’re doing what is expected, but nothing more.

Unfortunately, this attitude also creeps into the church. Sure, people show up to worship on the weekend, but there is no passion, no energy, no zest for Jesus. They sit in the pews, bored out of their mind, they rise and sit at the command of the praise leader, and then basically sleep with their eyes open (or not).

Here’s the issue. Our relationship with Jesus is meant to be full of passion, energy, and excitement. We should never lose our passion for our Savior. In fact, King David put it this way, “I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.” That phrase, “all my heart” is the Old Testament way of saying “with everything I’ve got!” In other words, we are called to live a life full of joy, energy, excitement because of who God is and what He has done. However, we can’t do this if we’re just going through the motions. Something has to change.

To live our lives with passion for Jesus means that our relationship with Him must take priority in our lives. To live a life of passion, we must invest ourselves in worshiping God. This means actually singing with passion when the song calls for it. It means praying prayers of thanks to God. It means telling others how amazing our God is. In short, if we’re praising Him with all our heart, it will be abundantly clear to those around us.

So, today, and every day, praise God with all your heart.